Equally Speaking
The following is a transcript of HRC’s morning news webcast "Equally Speaking." To view the current videos visit the main Equally Speaking page.
Good morning, and thanks for tuning in to Equally Speaking, your morning dose of GLBT news from the Human Rights Campaign for Thursday, February 14th. I’m Sarah Birnie.
And I’m Charlie Nordstrom. In honor of Valentine’s Day, we urge everyone to sign the Marriage Equality petition at Million for Marriage dot org.
In other news, the Human Rights Campaign has joined other prominent non-profit and media organizations for the fourth annual F-Y-I Film Your Issue short film competition. The competition is open to young adults ages 14 to 24, and is an opportunity for them to present their perspectives on pressing social issues. For more information, visit the H-R-C blog at http://www.hrcbackstory.org/.
In Kentucky, newly proposed state legislation would ban anything that exposes pre-kindergarten through eighth grade students to GLBT issues. If passed, the bill could prevent civics teachers from discussing issues affecting presidential candidates, such as civil unions. Currently, individual school systems decide what will or will not be taught in the classroom.
In many counties in Oregon, more female couples than male couples are registering for domestic partnerships since the state’s domestic partnership law went into effect February 4th. The Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law estimates that 57 percent of all same-sex couples in Oregon are female. Only 43 percent are male.
A Colorado elementary school is making preparations for a second-grade transgender student. Teachers and staff have been trained to answer the questions of parents and students, and two gender-neutral restrooms have been created. Teachers plan to address the student by name instead of using he or she.
The Illinois Supreme Court has ruled that a county judge must reconsider waiving the court fees for a low-income transgender person seeking a legal name change. If the request is denied again, the judge must issue a written explanation, which he failed to do the first time.
In international news, the European Union has started infringement procedures against Germany. The E-U believes that Germany’s “registered lifetime partnership” scheme for same-sex couples does not represent equal rights. The registration scheme provides same-sex couples with some of the rights and benefits of marriage, but not all.
That’s the news from us today. Thanks for tuning in to Equally Speaking.
Have a great day, and we’ll see you back here again tomorrow morning.